1. Field of the Disclosure
The present invention relates generally to the prevention of fires caused by electrical energy and more specifically to fires involving gas leaks at the fittings and junctions between gas lines or other plumbing connections.
2. Background
In a world that relies on electronics and electrical systems, providing a reliable ground throughout a building is critical. A reliable ground connection is especially critical for static electricity buildup along gas pipelines. While, some buildings use their plumbing systems to provide one path for non-critical grounding, other buildings do not have any ground connection for their plumbing fixtures. Moreover, due to plumbing fittings requiring Teflon tape or plumbers putty to properly fit the plumbing connection, the conductivity between two pipes can be further reduced. Materials such as, Teflon tape and plumbers putty are low conductivity materials, preventing them from transferring an electric current from one pipe to the next.
Enter Corrugated Stainless Steel Tubing (CSST), a corrugated pipe that is flexible and in most cases easier to install over traditional black iron pipe. With sizes ranging from one-half of an inch up to two inches, CSST is one of the most popular pipes for residential gas lines. There is a drawback of the corrugated nature of CSST. Its thin walls cause it to have a propensity to fail in lightning storms, allowing the escape of fuel gas. An arc to the CSST surface can develop, and this arc can result in the CSST being punctured, and thus creating a high fire risk situation. To help reduce the risks of electrical energy from storms puncturing CSST, the National Fuel Gas Code now requires a so called “direct bond” to the CSST piping; the bond wire is a heavy gauge bond wire, and is connected to the building grounding system.
On some piping systems, a jumper wire is used to jump or connect the ground from one pipe material to a different pipe material. The current method of attaching a jumper wire to the pipe requires attaching a screw on clamp to the pipe. To ensure a solid connection any paint or other non-metallic material on the outer surface of the pipe must be removed. Additional problems have been created with the introduction of CSST. The grooves along the outer surface of CSST, that aid in the flexibility of the pipe, also reduce the available surface area for unshielded CSST pipes. Some CSST installers address this issue by placing the clamp around a pipe junction. However, employing the clamp around the pipefitting still creates an issue of minimal surface area. This creates a problem with traditional clamps because the physical connection can be lost when the clamp loosens even the slightest amount and the minimal surface area is lost.